The present invention relates to an inkjet type image recording apparatus, and more specifically relates to the structure of a device for supporting a carriage carrying a recording head.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-270091 (1993), for example, in a mainstream conventional image recording apparatus, in order to support a carriage carrying a recording head so that the carriage is movable reciprocally along a main scanning direction (hereinafter referred to as the “X-axis direction”, an axis extending in the main scanning direction is called the X-axis), the carriage is supported slidably by a support shaft in the form of a round shaft.
Since the support shaft in the form of a round shaft has good dimensional precision and high rigidity, it is possible to decrease the variation in a so-called paper gap from the nozzle surface where nozzles are formed of the recording head to the surface of a recording medium, and therefore high-quality recorded images are easily obtained. However, the cost including a frame structure is high. Moreover, when removing the carriage from the shaft for maintenance, replacement or other reason, it is necessary to first detach the support shaft from the frame and then remove the carriage from the support shaft. The reverse procedure needs to be performed when mounting the carriage. Thus, there is a problem that it is very hard to mount the carriage.
As a prior art for solving the above problems, Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. 2002-254746 and 2005-313492 disclose structures in which the plate-like first support member and second support member are arranged lengthwise in the main scanning direction on the upstream side and downstream side of a plate-like platen in a paper transport direction (a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main-scanning direction (hereinafter referred to as the “Y-axis direction, an axis extending in the sub-scanning direction is called the Y-axis), a recording head is provided on the lower surface of a carriage supported slidably over the first and second support members, and the carriage is joined to a part of an endless belt placed lengthwise in the main scanning direction so that the carriage is moved reciprocally by a carriage motor.
On the lower surface of the carriage, leg sections which come into contact (slidably) with slide surfaces formed on the upper surfaces of the first and second support members are provided to control a print gap (paper gap) between the recording head of the carriage and paper on the platen. Moreover, on the second support member located on the downstream side near the joint section of the carriage and the endless belt, a cut-and-raised part extending in a vertical direction (the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis and the Y-axis) is formed to control the orientation of the carriage so that the carriage does not turn about the vertical axis (hereinafter referred to as the Z-axis) when it is pulled and moved by the endless belt.
Further, the carriage disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-254746 includes an ink cartridge. On the other hand, in an inkjet printer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-313492, an ink cartridge is placed in a stationary manner in the main body housing of a printer apparatus, and the ink cartridge and the carriage are joined with an ink supply tube.